From a Timberwolves perspective, it’s easy to see how Ridnour deserves it. He has worked hard all season, guarded people who he had no business guarding, and generally made the best of a difficult situation. We never heard him complaining about his matchups, and he rarely complains to the refs (at least by NBA standards).

Now Ridnour has a chance to become the winner of the whole NBA’s Sportsmanship Award. The other contenders are Jeremy Lin (Atlantic), Chris Paul (Pacific), Jason Kidd (Southwest), Antawn Jamison (Central), and Shane Battier (Southeast).

It’s hard to see Luke Ridnour winning this over Jeremy Lin and that’s fine. It’s just nice to see Ridnour getting some credit for all the hard work he put in this season. I, for one, am really glad he will be back next year.